Refrigerator latch



' D. D. swEM REFRIGERATOR LATCH Filed Deo. 1. 1925 INVENToR.

ATTORNEYS.

F slide on this bar.

Patented Nov. 22, 1927.

UNITED` STATES PAT-ENT oFFljcnf DANEL D. SWEM, OF BRDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE ARTISTIC BRONZE COMPANY, OF `PRED@EPGRT, CONNECTICUT, CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

REFRIVGERATOR' LATCH.

Application filed December 1, 1925. SerialiNo. 72,468.

This invention relates to latches, especial# ly to a latch for use on refrigerator doors, and has for an object toeprovide a latch construction involving a vertically reciprocating latch member which maybe used on small as well as large latches.

` It is also an object of the invention to pro-i vide a structure in which the same parts or element-s can be used on either right yor left hand latches. f

It is a further object of the invention to provide a latch in which the strain on the latch and the keeper .in the act of slamming the door willbe reduced to a minimum.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, similar reference characters being employed throughout the various figures to indicate corresponding elements.' In this drawing, j v v Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the latch as applied to a door.

Fig.`2 isan end elevation looking from the right of Fig. land the left of Fig. V3.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the latch.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation looking from the right of Fig. 3. Y l n v Fig. 5 is a side elevation of thekeeper, and Y Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section through a latch substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

The latch comprises a casing 10'whic`h has a flange 11 with screw holes 12 for screws to secure the casing to the door 13, This casing ris open on the rear side to facilitate assembly of thelatch mechanism, which open side is closed by al plate 14 mounted on the casing by screws threaded into the lugs 15. The latch member comprises a block 16 mounted for vertical reciprocatory movement in the casing. Permanently mounted in the casing is an upright bar y1'?, preferablya cy*n lindrical bar, which passes through acent-ral f opening in the block 16 so that the block may he inner wall of the casing and the side walls of-fthe block are pro-V vided with nish'ed bearingY surfaces 18 and 19 respectively, which act as guiding surfaces for the block andalso to prevent turn-` ing movement of the block on the bar so as to hold it in proper alignment. `The surfaces 19 on theother side of the block rub on the inner surface of t-he plate 14 for` the same purpose. AThe block has a projection-2O eX- tending through the opening 21 inthe end'l of the casing and carries a roller 22 to engage the keeper-23. The' roller is mounted on a stud 24 mounted in the projection 20. l 'i Y The' block is shifted in one direction by a lever 25 pivoted in the casing on the studv26: This lever is forked atv its forward end, the sides 27 of this fork extending on opposite sides of the-bar 17 and they'arev provided with rounded ends 28 projecting into recesses on the opposite sides of the block 16, these recesses providing shoulders 29 on opposite sides of the rounded ends of the lever against which thesey rounded ends engage to provide an operative Yconnection between the,k lever and the block. y A vertical rod 30 is mounted in the casing to the rear ofthe block, and the block is provided with a rearward proj ect-ion 31 having an opening through which this the spring cannot buckle and gives a smoother and more uniform `action because a longer spring can be used, which means less movement for each individual turn of the s ring;

VThe lever 25 has an'arm 33 projectlng yin the opposite direction from its pivot from the fork 27, and an operating handle 34 is pivotally mounted in the casing on the stud 35, this stud extending substantially parallel with the plane of the door so that the free portion or grip of the handle Vmoves toward and from the door aboutthis pivot, and the handle is operated to release the latch by pulling it away from thedoor in ythe 'direce tion to move the door to the open position. The latch is released by an extension 36 on the handle projecting over and engagingthe top of the arm 33 of the lever 25. "It will thus be apparent that by pulling outwardly on the handle theextension 36 is depressed, pressing down on the arm 33 vand lifting the block 16 with the roller 22 and releasing this roller fromthe kceper23,l allowing the; door to be swung open. The .extension 36 which engages the ytop of the operating lever-is beveled off at its-opposite sides to rovide dle is pulled outwardlythere will be a rocking action of the arm 33 ,on the curved surface betweenl these flattened surfaces, and when the lever is in its lowest position the flattened surfacesk 37,. so that when-t e hant threngagement of the extension Btl-with vthis lever Vwill .be the llattened sir-.Staes Thus at the position where there is the greatest pressure and wear between these two members, that is when the spring is compressed, there is an extended bearing surface between them preventing one surface cutting into the other. As the extension 36 is beveled on both sides the lever maybe lusedotor either-y a right or left hand latch. The latch shown inthe drawingis a right handflatch thatfis used ona door swinging-to the' right.: Itis also to be notedthatthe lever 25 is symmetrical about its longitudinal center line so that it may be used either in a right hand f closed..-Forthis purpose the keeperfisprovided with ian-inclinedholding surface 39, and-it lwill be-.apparent'l'rom an inspection oiFig. g5 thatpressure of the spring 32 tendinV to forcethe latch. roller 22 downwardly wil cause it `to .react withf this vinclined surface to force the roller .and-the' door inwardly, asuindicated by the small arrow-,1 to hold the door tightly closed The keeper also `is provi-dedwi-th7 an improved striking surface .leading'tothe holding surface-.39..` This striking surface is in the ormXo-/a reversecurve, the outerfportion v.40 .being concave andtlieinner 'fupper portionll `being convertl It will beap-parent that 1l with this arrangement, as the. fdoorf. 4is slammed to closed position the roller '22 will first engage the 4.lower outer'fportion of ,the concave `surface-40, which at thepoint of first 1Contact is substantially horizontal',. I:so that the-.rollerconlatoh is given ia gradual upward acceleration,..the greatest rate of movement being Y at substantially the central por-tionfof this striking .surface .or where the concave and f convex surfaces join, i and then the Vrate of upward mov-ement gradually decreases until it is substantially Zerov at the point` Lwhere they rollen-drops. -into' 'engagea ment. vwith the holdingsurace'.-39.r It will bevobvious that this gradual ystarting .and stopping or` the-latch 'moveinent'will greatly decrease Vthe 'strain :on thelatch-r :and also the keeper incident to the v slamming operation'.l

The construction described-.gives a rigid, simple latch which employs the -principle or a vertically reciprocating latch,wand is so constructed Iand arranged-that this principle naay'be'used lausm-all as well as large latches. This verticall reciprocating latch Valv'vaysy moves in a direction' normal-tothe keeper and therefore is always in the'same angular-*relation to this keeper, which is not true oi' pivoted latches, which pivoted latches necessarily change their angular position with respect to the keeper. Thus this ilatch has a more uniform and smoother op'- eration. tis also tobe noted that as the end -33-o`V-the operating lever may move sition,-a lever pivotedfin-the easing and-.com

nected to said block, an operatingnhandle' pivoted-in the-casingto .swing about an axis parallel'with the fpl'ane or" the `door and-providedwithf an extensionengaging said lever to swinglthe saine about its pivot, a keeper, anda projection carried bythe blocktoengage-said keeper.`

2. `Ina refrigerator latch, .a casing-.adapted to vbe secured to'a :door-,ian Vupright -rod mounted in the casing, Va block mountedY to reciprocate in the `casingandguided by said rod, means to prevent turning'iof the'block on therod, a springntending to-rmovethe block in one direction, -a levernpivoted in=the casing to swingina pla-ne substantially parallel withfth'e door and havingwa rounded end engaging Ya shoulder on theiblocln-anV operating handle pivoted toaswingfv toward and from the door and having an extension provided "witha cam surface to engage :said Y lever, ha keeper, `.anda rollerrcarriedlby4 the blockV to .engage saidikeeper." Y 3. :ln a refrigerator latch,"a casing adapted lto'loe-secured toi'a door, an'. upright bar mounted. in @the casing, Ya block havingvan opening' through' 'i which Athe J bar yextends' so that `:the 'lolockziis Aguided for.verticalvreciprocation', saidlblock.andfcasing'being-provided with bearing surfaces fon. theirl opposed aces to prevent:rotation"of.the7 block on. the bar, a lever pivoted in the. casing having a forked end engaging shoulders :onthe block-lon rozppo-r site sides vot'fthelba'r,V a spring tending `ito move the `rlolock ':nf'one-i direction, anroperating handle pvotedf to :the casing @to move toward and from the door. andV having a projection engaging' said lever, a'fke'epe'r, and a roller carried by .the y-blockto engage the keeper.' i'

4C. In a re'frigerator'-fl'a`tch, a casing'to be secured tor-a doorga blockin said casing', an upright"bareXten-ding throughthe-hlock and lmounted fin the" casinv. an'fupright red mounted in the' casing, :said `blcic'k'having anv extension through which the`rod`extends, a Y

`spring' yembracing the rod andreactingat its opposite -ends' against said extension' and the loo les

a direction to engage the keeper, a pivotedv lever for operating the latch, and an operating handle pivoted vto the casing provided with a projection to engage the lever to operate the latch against the spring, said projection vbeing beveled at the side to provide a flattened surface arranged to engage the lever at the end of the operative movement to give an increased bearing surface When 20 the spring is compressed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

DANIEL D. SWEM. 

